Teenage identity crises span centuries in Douglas College's production of A Vampire Story

The teenage years feel longer and more bloodthirsty than ever, as Douglas College’s talented cast and crew perform Moira Buffini’s A Vampire Story on March 10-17.

Presented by the departments of Theatre and Stagecraft & Event Technology, A Vampire Story is a supernatural comedy about two young women who settle in a British town – both of whom have done so many times before, because they’re immortal vampires. 

The story of Eleanor, the younger of the two women, jumps in time between the 19th century and the modern day. Eleanor reflects on her long life as she takes yet another swing at high school, this time enrolling in her first ever drama class. As her personal history unfolds before the audience, the play earns its place as another instalment in the weighty history of vampire fiction.

Guest director Claire Fogal explained that beneath A Vampire Story’s comic charm is a serious core that deals with themes of identity, consent, trauma and recovery. Most distinctively, the play uses vampirism as a metaphor for the concept of disposability as we see it in modern culture. 

“Vampires drink things dry. They take life rapidly, repeatedly and remorselessly. Yet they also extend their lives indefinitely, leaving their pasts behind like forgotten trash and never dealing with real consequences,” Fogal said. “To me, that disregard for life has immediate relevance. After all, we’re in a society that centres instant gratification, no matter the cost. 

“So, this play asks each of us to consider: ‘How do I feel about living my life this way?’”

The cast includes Riya Chahal (Surrey), Sadé Stewart (Vancouver), Irene Lozano-Garcia (Maple Ridge), Taylor Turmel Montalbetti (Vancouver), Abrielle Dumansky (Ladner), Sarah Hosta (Delta), Henry Nduagu (Surrey), Isaac Leung (Burnaby), Sean Whittaker (Mission) and Edy Brauer (New Westminster, Mexico City).

Performances of A Vampire Story run at the New Westminster Campus’s Studio Theatre. You can buy tickets and learn more about upcoming Douglas College arts events at douglascollege.ca/arts-events.

Douglas College is the largest degree-granting college in B.C., combining the academic foundations of a university and the employer-ready skills of a college to graduate resilient global citizens who adapt, innovate and lead in a changing world.   

For more information, visit douglascollege.ca   

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Contact    

Zach Siddiqui    

Communications Coordinator    

siddiquiz1@dougascollege.ca   

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